Facing the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad, Artoria triggered Mana Burst. Magical energy erupted beneath her feet, blasting her out of the lance's path.
Siegfried did not have Mana Burst or any other rapid movement skill. He could only raise the demonic sword in his hand and release his Noble Phantasm.
"Balmung: Phantasmal Greatsword, Felling of the Sky Demon!"
One blue beam and one black beam collided. The rolling shockwaves alone scraped a layer off the surrounding ground.
But in terms of attack power and magical energy output, Siegfried, who had only one Holy Grail, was no match for Lancer Artoria Alter.
"Aaaaaah!"
As Siegfried's shout rose, the demonic sword in his hand gained another boost. Even so, he could only force the clash to a draw.
The final wave of power ended with a massive explosion. Siegfried stood inside a crater. Fine cracks had appeared across his armor, but those cracks were gradually mending under the magical energy of the Holy Grail inside him.
Siegfried exhaled.
If he were fighting Saber Artoria Alter, he would dare to endure her Noble Phantasm head-on and attack through it, relying on the protection of his dragon slayer legend. But Lancer Artoria Alter was different. She also carried draconic traits, but she had even more divine traits inside her. When facing her attack, Siegfried would not block directly unless he had to. This was one such case.
Aside from Lancer Artoria Alter, another Knight King was still on the field. If he exposed a flaw because of Rhongomyniad and then had his Holy Grail taken by Saber Artoria Alter, everything would end.
Just as Siegfried thought, Artoria would not let such a good opening pass. Mana Burst erupted beneath her feet again. Holding Excalibur, she charged at Siegfried.
This time, Siegfried only watched coldly. He did not take a defensive or offensive stance, because he knew Sigurd would act.
"Bolverk Gram: Heavenly Wheel of Destruction!"
Sigurd's Noble Phantasm flew toward the rushing Artoria. Artoria hurriedly stopped her advance, but because of her momentum, she could not dodge in time. She could only use Mana Burst and brace Excalibur in front of her.
Mana Burst truly was a versatile ability. Released beneath the feet, it increased speed. Released around the body, it increased defense. Released through the hands, it increased strength. Wrapped around a weapon, it increased the weapon's hardness and sharpness. It could attack and defend. Some Servants even had elemental Mana Burst, such as Karna's Mana Burst, Flame, whose scorching heat could be felt without touching him.
Now, with the enormous magical energy provided by two Holy Grails, even a casual move from Artoria could rival a weak Noble Phantasm. Her full defense was another matter entirely.
Clang.
A piercing metallic collision tore across the sky. Artoria's feet carved dozens of meters through the ground before she finally stopped.
She swung her sword and knocked away Sigurd's magical energy. The demonic sword flew back to Sigurd's hand as if returning to its master.
Artoria was not surprised. She already knew Sigurd could use some Primordial Runes. Even only part of that craft was enough for a powerful warrior to do many things.
While Artoria watched Sigurd warily and Siegfried gradually approached, the warning from Instinct made every hair on her body rise.
"Azrael!"
The bell tolled.
Wu Ling, holding a black greatsword, appeared behind Artoria and cut toward her neck.
Saber Alter might be excellent, but here, she was an enemy. Against an enemy, especially one this dangerous, Wu Ling preferred to kill quickly with overwhelming force.
Blood stained the dry earth red.
To Wu Ling's surprise, his strike did not behead Artoria. It landed on her shoulder instead.
At the last moment, Artoria had used Instinct to understand that she could not evade the slash. So she chose to turn a fatal wound into an acceptable one.
At that moment, she instinctively used Mana Burst around her neck and shoulder to form a slanted, intangible ramp. That successfully diverted Wu Ling's strike from its original path.
With her shoulder injured and one arm unable to exert force, Artoria chose a kick instead. She spun and sent a Mana Burst accelerated kick toward Wu Ling.
Wu Ling could have taken the kick, but there was no need. Blocking it brought him no benefit. It was not as if Artoria would reward him afterward.
With a single shift, Wu Ling vanished like a ghost.
If he had been another Assassin, he would have hidden himself again and waited for another chance. But right now, Wu Ling was possessed by First Hassan, the Hassan among Hassans. There was no need to play hide and seek. He could simply cut her down.
Wu Ling appeared behind Artoria again and struck from the same angle as before.
This time, Artoria could neither block nor ignore it. If she ignored it, even Mana Burst defense would not stop the beheading. But if she diverted the strike the same way, Wu Ling's blade would land on the wound he had already opened. Then it would not be decapitation. He would cut her in half.
Artoria steeled herself. She could not escape this time, so before dying, she would drag someone down with her.
Magical energy surged inside Excalibur, which she held one-handed. The power of the two Holy Grails poured through the sword as if it had found an outlet. At the same moment Wu Ling cut off her head, Artoria aimed Excalibur at him.
As her head flew high, the uncontrolled magical energy erupted.
But Wu Ling had once faced ten thousand beams comparable to a fully powered Excalibur. A single shot was not enough to stop his resolve.
In the distance, Siegfried and Sigurd stood together.
"Should we really not help?" Siegfried asked after recovering most of his strength.
Sigurd shook his head. "No need. With his strength, even if both of us died, he would not."
"Then that is good."
The explosion ended. Wu Ling slowly walked out of the smoke, holding two Holy Grails.
Before anyone could celebrate, the three of them all turned toward the distance. They had just sensed a surge of magical energy rising into the sky. It was even denser than Artoria's self-destruction and the earlier clash between Siegfried and Lancer Artoria Alter's Noble Phantasms.
And as that magical energy erupted, another presence weakened. Siegfried and Sigurd were both very familiar with that weakening presence.
"No mistake. The presence weakening is Lancer Artoria Alter. Did she run into that Servant?"